Robert Clark (June 12, 1777 – October 1, 1837) was a physician and politician. He served in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

and one term as

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from New York. With his family, he moved to

Monroe, Michigan Monroe is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Monroe had a population of 20,462 in the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomo ...

in 1823, joining the migration west. He did not run again for office.

Early life and education

Robert Clark was born in

Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington. Washington County is part of the Glen ...

, six months after his family emigrated from the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowl ...

. His father died when he was age thirteen. He was tutored privately and then studied medicine in the office of his older brother, Dr. Thomas Clark. He commenced a medical practice in

Galway, New York Galway () is a town located in Saratoga County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 3,589. The town contains a village also named Galway. Both the town and village are located in the western part o ...

in 1799.

Career

That same year, at age 22 Clark married Catherine Reid, who was barely 15. Although his mother-in-law offered to help establish them in

Lachine, Quebec Lachine () is a borough (''arrondissement'') within the city of Montreal on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It was an autonomous city until the municipal mergers in 2002. History Lachine, apparently from the French term ' ...

, Canada, his wife's former home, Clark refused to settle in the dominions of the

British Crown The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...

. Clark and Catherine remained in Galway; he built a house where their first two children were born. After the house burned to the ground, Clark and his family lived in temporary shelter provided by neighbors, where his third child was born. They soon afterward moved to

Stamford, New York Stamford is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 2,000 at the 2020 census. The town is in the eastern part of the county and has a village called Stamford. Geography The northeastern town line is the border of ...

, and later settled near

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, where he continued the practice of his profession.

Political career

Before the War of 1812, Clark entered politics. He was elected as a member of the

(Delaware Co.) in

1812 Events January–March * January 1 – The ''Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch'' (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire. * January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo Siege of ...

and 1814–1815. A few years later, he was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the

16th United States Congress The 16th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1819, ...

, holding office from March 4, 1819, to March 3, 1821. He was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1821. In New York, he was a Free and Accepted Mason. He was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, and when living in New York was a member and ruling elder of the Scotch Church.

Move to Michigan

In 1823, Clark and his family joined the migration west, moving to

Monroe County, Michigan Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 154,809. The largest city and county seat is Monroe. The county was established as the second county (after Wayne County) in the Michigan Ter ...

, and settling in the tiny village of Monroe. He was not in harmony or fellowship with the Masonic lodge of Monroe. His wife, with their eight children, the youngest age 22 months, followed him from New York as soon as convenient. The couple had a total of thirteen children together, ten of whom grew to maturity. From 1823 to 1831, he served as Register of the Land Office, an appointed office, for the 2nd Land District of

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

. The family at first lived in a small house in the village. Clark soon purchased a farm at the edge of the village, which had once been part of a French-Canadian estate. When the land office was moved to White Pigeon, Clark returned to the practice of medicine. He also became involved in the scientific cultivation of fruits and grasses and the subject of drainage. Concerning his political affiliations, Clark used to say "that he had never changed his principles, but found himself a member of the Whig Party without needing to change" (Wing p. 146). After a long and painful illness, Clark died on a Sabbath morning in Monroe, Michigan. Clark's wife survived him by 22 years.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Robert 1777 births 1837 deaths Members of the New York State Assembly People from Washington County, New York People from Monroe, Michigan Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Galway, New York People from Delhi, New York